A Spot Of Tough Luck, And That's That

So Johan Santana’s 24-game unbeaten streak at the Dome comes to an end at the hands of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I figured it was going to happen one of these nights. Actually, I figured it was going to happen tonight. It’s a law of averages thing, and it also happens to be Friday the 13th.

I’m a superstitious guy, and all day I didn’t have a good feeling about Johan’s chances tonight. He didn’t pitch poorly, which is small consolation, and the Twins didn’t exactly swing the bats for him –again, small consolation– but it’s pretty meaningless in the ultimate scheme of things. I expect Johan’s got plenty of astonishments remaining in that left arm of his, and I also expect that one of these days the Twins are gonna put up some seriously crooked numbers. Solo home runs from the MVP aren’t going to be worth a whole lot unless they’re consistently of the walk-off variety.

No, I think what we need to see in the next week or so are some games where the Twins bat around and blow things open early and give their pitching staff a little breathing room.

That would be encouraging.

I’ll tell you what I really don’t want to see: I don’t want to see Roger Clemens come out of retirement for the umpteenth time to sign with whatever team –and understand that in this situation you’re using that term very loosely– throws the most cash (and use of private jets and all manner of other ridiculous perks and allowances) at him. I say enough of this bullshit. It seriously shouldn’t be allowed. I don’t care how good you are, if you want to play Major League Baseball you make a commitment and go through spring training and play the damn game wire-to-wire. You comport yourself like a team player, and get treated like everybody else in the game. These aren’t the days of barnstorming teams, for shit sake. This is Major League Baseball. A guy shouldn’t be allowed to sit on the sidelines for the first month or two of the season angling for the best opportunity. It’s a joke, and if Bud Selig had any stones at all (and we’ve had ample evidence that he does not) he’d put the kabosh on it.

My only hope is that one of these times when Clemens comes back –hopefully this time– he’ll get rocked so hard and so consistently that he’ll make Lefty Carlton’s last couple years look like a graceful curtain call.